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Road to Recovery: How to Nurse an Injury to Full Recovery

Being plagued with an injury is an unpleasant thing to go through. To make the recovery process a lot quicker, you need to know how to properly handle an injury and nurse it regardless if you’re getting direct help from a specialist or a locum tenens healthcare provider.

8 Steps to Bounce Back from an Injury

Step 1: Protect the injured part from further aggravation.

At this point, you need to understand that your injured part needs to take a break from any type of strenuous activity. During the first few days of the injury, avoid doing any movement or activity that could increase the pain.

Step 2: Elevate the injured part.

Elevating the injured part above your heart-level is good because it prevents swelling by draining away any fluid from the affected area. If raising it above your heart’s level is not possible, then at the very least keep them at the same level.

Step 3: Avoid using anti-inflammatory medicines.

Anti-inflammatory meds can reduce the rate of your tissue’s healing so it is best to avoid them. An inflammatory response is one of the most natural biological responses of the body in an injury that helps increase healing.

old woman on the floor

Step 4: Compression should be applied on the affected area.

Applying compression to the injured body part restricts the flow of blood and other fluids to the affected area, which helps reduce its swelling. Use elastic or static bandages to apply compression to the injury. Just make sure that it is not too tight. Adjust the pressure as needed.

Step 5: Educate yourself with how your body heals.

Your body is built to heal on its own. Find out how the body works and heals injured parts and allow nature to take its course. Do not resort to unnecessary passive treatments to speed up the healing process.

Step 6: Let your body dictate when additional load and activities can be reintroduced.

Just like your body will take over in healing itself, allow it to tell you when it is time to go back to your normal activities. As the body heals, it will allow you to gradually return to your typical physical activities and routine until the injured part is fully healed and restored.

Step 7: Optimism helps speed up the healing process.

Studies show that there is a connection between how your brain thinks and how your body feels. The way you use positivity in psychological healing is the same way you use it for physical healing by sending positive messages to your body to promote and speed up its recovery.

Step 8: Exercise and strengthen the affected part.

Adapting an active mode of treatment can help increase strength and mobility in the injured body part and help bring it to full restoration. Keep in mind to do this gradually and load up on your physical therapy treatments incrementally.

Proper treatment and care are important in the recovery process. If you want your injury to heal properly and swiftly, you need to know how to let your body recover and heal right.

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